BIG BROTHER AFRICA IS BACK.

With just a week to go before a sensational new Big Brother Africa hits African television screens, speculation about the new show is growing fast as eager fans across the continent gear up for the highly anticipated July 18th launch.

M-Net made a dramatic announcement confirming that the show is set to be a fully fledged All Stars version, featuring some of the most unforgettable, outspoken, entertaining housemates of previous editions! But just who are they? That is still a secret that remains to be seen!

Big Brother All Stars will see 14 housemates from 14 African countries come together to compete 24/7 for 91 days in the search for the ultimate winner prize – USD 200 000, watched by audiences on DStv channel 198.

All Stars Revealed!

Biola Alabi, M-Net Africa Managing Director, was pleased to make the news public.

“We want to thank fans of the show for being so patient with us. We’re completely excited about this show and have wanted to announce the full name of the series for some time but given the logistics required on a show like this, we’ve waited until today to announce the full title of the series: Big Brother All Stars.

She goes on to say, “All the housemates, both those included in the new show and those who are not on this series, are the true stars of the Big Brother Africa story and we want to celebrate them in all their glory. What better way than to bring back some of the fans’ favourite characters for a second chance at the big prize. So join them on July 18th as they set off on a whole new adventure.”

With the stakes now raised, Big Brother All Stars means that this season will be more strategic than ever before…with all the housemates having played the game previously, they each come into the new season equipped with more insight and knowledge into the world of alliances, conspiracy and tactics. What will happen? Who will survive? And how will they play? Only time will tell so stay tuned!

Dual View

Meanwhile audiences will get twice as many Big Brother All Stars viewing options this year. DStv channel 198 will provide a second viewing feed to audiences, allowing them a choice of which feed they want to watch. This will be in addition to the usual news and information about the show and its housemates that audiences will get when they press the OK button on their DStv remote control.

Plus for more news, video highlights and extras on Big Brother All Stars, go to our video gallery and connect with other fans on Facebook and Twitter. And remember to tune in on July 18 on DStv channel 198 for Big Brother All Stars!

And for fans counting down the big day and the production company Endemol hard at work on the new series, M-Net has confirmed that next week it will offer the first look at the new house when it releases sneak peek images; as well as a reveal of the superstar artist lined up for the opening show….so get ready…Big Brother is back!

Big Brother Scores!

With soccer fever sweeping the continent, DStv has scored its own blockbuster goal…revealing that M-Net will kick-off a sensational new season of Africa’s biggest reality show in just under a month.

The 5TH edition of M-Net’s BIG BROTHER AFRICA will launch just days after the newest World Cup Champions are crowned, and with the golden prize of USD 200 000 once again up for grabs, a breathtaking new game will be well and truly on!

And this time, Big Brother fans in over 40 countries across the continent are going to get a show that’s more edgy, more tactically challenging and more intensely strategic than ever before.

So says M-Net Africa Managing Director Biola Alabi who was delighted to make the news official.

What a Great Moment

“What a great moment this is – to bring back a show that our audience loves for an incredible 5th time. We wanted season 4 (Big Brother Revolution) to be special but it exceeded our hopes. With the volume of interaction the show received from fans, it was clear that season 5 was definitely on the cards.So we’ve been developing what we believe will be thrilling new format changes.”

Save the Date!

Now, with the news out in the open, M-Net has confirmed that the latest BIG BROTHER AFRICA will begin on July 18, and will be screened live 24/7 for 91 days on DStv Channel 198 for DStv Premium and Compact subscribers.

And breaking with tradition, M-Net has announced it won’t be calling for entries for the new show. The company has revealed that having run the series 4 times previously, they’re now head-hunting contestants from a database of previous entries submitted for the show.

“We want to invest more broadly in season 5 and having already been introduced to a world of interesting characters from previous searches, there’s limited value in spending extensively in another search for contestants,” says Alabi.

She goes on to say, “We’ll still be looking for entertaining persons with a sense of humour, a love of adventure and the ability to enjoy the very exciting Big Brother experience. In the past we’ve spent widely to find contestants in 14 countries. This year, we’re using these funds to develop a gutsy new series, recreating the house in a very different way and focusing on putting new technology into place.”

Technology

One technological change already in place is that this year DStv channel 198 will feature two television feeds so audiences can choose to move from one BIG BROTHER feed to another. At any one time there will be two streams of video and audio coming out of the house and audiences can simply pick the one that they wish to watch.

And with the rules governing conspiracy and alliance about to be given a radical new perspective, audiences will definitely want to follow the action closely!

IK is Back

More good news from BIG BROTHER AFRICA is that charming Nigerian television and radio star I.K. Osakioduwa, whose easy humor and professional style are well known, will return to the BIG BROTHER stage for a second time. The star, whose credits include Comedy Club and Studio 53, is a familiar face to DStv viewers and a longtime fan of the Big Brother series.

Asked why he thinks audiences relate so well to BIG BROTHER AFRICA, I.K. says, “It’s all reality. That’s what makes it so interesting. People like to see the way that other people handle real life situations. And Big Brother always does his part to keep the activities and surprises in the house fresh.”

Meanwhile this year contestants will once again be drawn from 14 countries – Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. BIG BROTHER AFRICA season five will be produced by Endemol and filmed on location in Johannesburg. This year, the house will feature 53 cameras and 100 microphones ensuring that, as always, Big Brother is always watching!

See Yourself On TV

And season five will maintain some of the key characteristics that makes BIG BROTHER AFRICA so popular – the ability for audiences to send their text and web messages direct to DStv channel 198 and see their thoughts and opinions on air. PLUS there’s the fact that ultimate power of who is evicted from the house and who remains is firmly in the hands of the voting public!

In addition, by simply pressing the OK button on your DStv remote you can get updated on news and information from the Big Brother house in a matter of minutes and if you are an ardent fan, the website www.mnetafrica.com/bigbrother is being designed just for you – with updates on the show as it happens, a live forum to chat with other fans, video downloads and much more.

Plus there will be daily edited highlights show on M-Net every weekday in case you’ve missed any of the action.

And as Alabi says, “You don’t want to miss any of the action this season because at the heart of it all is a change beyond revolution, a secret so explosive…it is set to be the most dramatic Big Brother Africa ever seen!”